![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
New courses announced for next semester and 2016-2017 school year
A chef serves pasta in Manzanita during long lunch. The Science of Food will be offered next semester.
January 6, 2016
Several new courses have been added for next semester and the 2016-2017 school year in the Math, Science, History and English departments.
Few of the new classes added include The Science of Food, English 4: Postmodern lit and Honors United States History.
The Science of Food looks into the chemistry behind food and how the food changes when it is baked or cooked. English 4: Postmodern lit focuses on literary texts written after World War II. Honors United States History surveys the time from pre-Columbian to the present.
Students have differing views on which courses they find interesting and helpful.
Zach Wong (9) believes that the new additions present students with more diversity in course selections
“I think they are great to give Harker a whole new variety of different stuff, such as food,” Zach said. “I think it is great that the Harker administration is constantly looking for new courses to add and enrich its system.”
Arthi Iyer (11) felt the food science course is not practical, but thought the new English and math courses appealed to her more.
“I think no one is going to take the food science one because it does not offer any credit, like if a college saw you took food science, they would ask ‘Why?’” Arthi said. “The only classes that are interesting that actually show something important are the Math and English ones. I am going to take Graphic Novels English 4, and I might take a math one [course] next year.”
Some teachers feel that these new courses are valuable developments to the school and help better the student’s education.
English teacher Charles Shuttleworth believes the new English classes added are significant in improving the English department and preparing students for later in life.
“It has really helped bring the English department more up to date in terms of offering students literature since World War II,” Shuttleworth said. “There have been three major literary movements since World War II: the beat generation, the postmodern and the graphic novel. Now, students have the ability to take two of three. That really will make them more aware of current trends and able to be part of the cultural dialogue.”
Students in grades nine through 11 must turn in their course selection forms for the following year on Jan. 26 to Derek Kameda.
